Wrath

Luca’s life is perfect; he has a loving mother, a father he idolizes and a strong bond with his twin sister. But by 15, life as he knows it, is over. He sits in juvenile detention, responsible for the deaths of two people, his family destroyed. This engaging young adult novel addresses themes such as drugs, racism and the idea of self-control.

Based on a real-life story where a 24-year-old Tennessee man was executed for murdering his mother and step-father when he was 13. He had been on drugs and had access to a gun. Perth resident Anne Davies taught English to teenagers for 20 years and found getting teenage boys to read, difficult. So she has written a meaty fiction book for them; a book that has murder, romance and a serious (but not too deep) look at the process someone would go through after murdering two people, at such a young age.